This invention relates generally to boating equipment, and has particular reference to a novel portable cleat for securing the mooring lines of a boat to a dock when permanent cleats or other line securing means are not available.
With the ever increasing popularity of pleasure boating, it frequently happens that a boat wishing to make a mooring alongside a dock or pier will find that all of the permanent cleats, rings or the like are already in use and there is nothing to which even one more line can be secured. When this happens, it becomes necessary to tie up to another boat or move to a less crowded location, neither of which may be a desirable solution to the problem. A more desirable solution is to provide a portable cleat or the like which can be carried on the boat and releasably secured to the dock when needed.
Portable cleats have been developed heretofore, and two such cleats are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,328,985, issued Jan. 27, 1920 to C. D. Cook et al and U.S. Pat. No. 2,469,433 issued May 10, 1949 to L. Reiter. Of these, the Cook et al patent is the closest prior art known to the applicant. The Cook et al and Reiter patents differ from the present invention in that they both employ a C-clamp type device for securing the cleat in position for use. A C-clamp securing means has the disadvantage that it can only be secured to the edge of the dock or the like, and the further disadvantage that it is limited as to the thickness of the members to which it can be secured.
Two additional patents developed in a preliminary search and relating to cleat type devices are U.S. Pat. No. 107,738, issued Sept. 27, 1870 to J. T. Thomson and U.S. Pat. No. 2,602,618, issued July 8, 1952 to J. Cohen.